Bengaluru News: Air India faces backlash from Bengaluru woman after flight rescheduling
Imagine booking a flight and receiving a last-minute notification that it has been rescheduled. This travel nightmare became a reality for an Air India passenger when her flight was unexpectedly rescheduled. On X (formerly Twitter), a woman from Bengaluru expressed her frustration with Air India after her Delhi-San Francisco flight, initially scheduled for August 18, was postponed to August 22. Loveleen Arun, an influencer from Bengaluru, shared that when passengers protested, the Tata-owned airline offered an alternative flight on August 17, but with a more complicated route: Delhi-Mumbai-San Francisco.
Passengers already in Bengaluru requested a flight directly from the city, but their requests were “categorically denied”.
“When they said that was not acceptable, they were offered the Delhi-Mumbai-SFO route on August 17. However, the passengers claimed that they would be in Bengaluru, which would mean flying from Bengaluru to Delhi (with a 10-hour stopover), and then taking the Delhi-Mumbai-SFO route. Instead, they requested to be accommodated on the Bengaluru-Mumbai-SFO flight, which was categorically denied by @airindia,” he said.
Frustrated by the situation, Loveleen slammed Air India saying, “First, they cancel flights at will and then they don’t make the slightest effort to help their customers. They show no empathy at all! The money lost in booking, cancelling and rebooking domestic flights is a completely different issue.”
Loveleen’s post quickly gained traction on social media, prompting a response from the airline. Air India apologized for the inconvenience and requested her booking details.
“Dear Ms. Arun, we apologize for the inconvenience caused. Please share your booking details via direct message so that we can look into this at the earliest,” Air India responded.
However, in a follow-up post, Loveleen expressed her continued dissatisfaction with the airline’s customer service.
“Inept Air India call centre agents contacted us and said, ‘Sorry, we cannot change this ticket as there are no seats available from Mumbai to SFO,’ even though they had changed the PNR and confirmed the Delhi-Mumbai-SFO route.”
“We are going round in circles. What is happening, Air India?” he asked.
Several social media users echoed her sentiments, highlighting similar challenges they faced in the past, including delays in refunds and the higher cost of last-minute bookings.
“One of the worst things about these cancelled international flights is the length of time that large sum of money is stuck. Because it’s a last-minute transaction, the fees are high and the refund takes a long time. By the time the bill arrives at the end of the month, it already covers both amounts, which is a problem if you’re dealing with a cash flow problem,” one user noted.
Another added: “This is unusual! You would think it would be easier for them to organise the BLR-BOM-SFO connection, since there is a direct connection.”
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